Boise Passes LGBTQ Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

The LGBTQ anti-discrimination ordinance was passed by Boise City Council 5-0. The citywide ordinance prohibits discriminatory acts in employment, housing, and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.

“This is a huge win for our community in Idaho,” said Boise resident Emilie Jackson-Edney, a Pride Foundation board member who had testified before the council about the ordinance.

“There were no employment non-discrimination protections for me in company policy or codified on a statewide level,” Emilie said while testifying at an earlier ordinance hearing. “If I had been fired, there was no avenue of recourse for me to follow. What you are doing now is a logical progression to extend those protections through the ordinance process to encompass the entire city – because it’s the right thing to do.”

The ordinance will take effect on January 1, 2013.

In communities small and large, transformative change is taking place throughout the Northwest. Thank you to all the community members who have attended and/or testified at the hearings. Together, we are moving our community forward.